TGPA Chapter 6 Rediscovering the Future
Ye Zitao sat in front of the dressing table, doing her makeup in front of the mirror. She had made plans with her best friend to go shopping at the mall, as she had heard that the latest bags had arrived.
In the morning, as usual, she browsed through live streams. Her favorite streamer hadn't started yet, so she switched to the music channel to listen to some songs. She randomly joined a sub-channel called "Golden Classics Singing". She usually preferred larger rooms for listening to music, but today, she stayed there after receiving a phone call, even though she had muted the sound. Feeling the room was too quiet, she turned on the speaker. Although the songs playing weren't particularly wonderful, they were better than silence. She continued to do her makeup while humming along to the familiar tunes.
"Springtime, dedicated to you all."
When a man's voice came on, Ye Zitao subconsciously hummed along. Her initial thought was that this song had become overly common...
Before she could finish her thought, the singer started, leaving Ye Zitao stunned. She stared at herself in the mirror, her eyes shifting. She put down the eyeshadow palette in her hand and moved to her computer, clicking the mouse to wake up the screen. She saw an ID named Haizi performing on stage. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms.
As the first chorus ended, Ye Zitao's reaction was to put on her professional headphones and turn off the speaker. The best way to truly appreciate good music was through headphones.
In just one hundred and eighty seconds, the time passed by quickly. Following the style of a mic-climbing singer, they usually sang a half or two songs at most. Singing a complete song was considered a waste of time for them. With only a few hours of mic-climbing time each day, they usually only had a few opportunities to sing. The Lele platform was open to all, but the entry barrier was high. To have one's own live broadcast room, one needed to endure a period of scrutiny in various major channels and possess a certain level of talent and qualifications. Otherwise, anyone, even nobodies, could show their face, which was irresponsible to the vast audience of Lele.
There were over a million anchors on the Lele platform, but only tens of thousands could broadcast live, even with the resources of guilds or individuals who spent a lot of money to obtain a broadcasting room.
"Oh, he's on the mic again. It sounds good. There's nothing in his profile, no pictures either? Seems like someone lacking confidence in their appearance..." After seeing Haizi's sparse profile, Ye Zitao followed him and glanced at his mic sequence before returning to her dressing table to continue her makeup. Then she began to pick out her outfit for the day. When everything was almost ready, she calmly opened the door and went downstairs to the restaurant on the first floor. She smiled at a plain-dressed woman in her fifties and hugged her arm. "Auntie Zhang, what's for breakfast?"
"You naughty girl, it's almost noon. Tell me what you want to eat, and Auntie will make it for you."
Ye Zitao's eyes flickered. "I'll have a hot milk first. I might be going out later."
With that, she returned to her room, but before she could finish her glass of milk, she was once again struck by that unique voice.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Haizi. I hope you'll enjoy my singing."
"Sometimes I feel like a little bird, wanting to fly but unable to soar high. Perhaps one day when I perch on a branch, I'll become the target of hunters. Only when I fly to the sky do I realize that I am forever alone."
"Every time it gets late at night, I can't fall asleep. I wonder if it's because my tomorrow never gets better. What will the future be like? Who will really know? Is happiness just a myth that I can never find?"
"I am a little, little, little bird, wanting to fly but unable to soar high. I search and search for a warm embrace. Is this request too much?"
Holding the glass, Ye Zitao had never been so quiet while listening to a song. By the end, her eyes were moist without her realizing it. When the singer was about to start the second chorus, Ye Zitao placed the glass on the table, somewhat flustered, and repeatedly tapped the "Applause" button, selecting 1314 gifts, continuously tapping several times. At the last moment before the singer went off-mic, she heard his thanks: "Thank you for the applause, Ye Zitao. See you next time."
Ye Zitao dialed her phone in hands-free mode. "I'm not going out today. I heard a really good voice. Come find me on Lele if you have nothing to do." Without waiting for her friend's response, her entire attention was focused on privately messaging the broadcaster named Haizi: "It's beautiful!"
Wang Yushi, a very ordinary farmer, was about to turn forty, still just an ordinary person at the bottom of society. After the autumn harvest, he would help with the farm work at home, and when that was done, he would go out to work for a few months, returning before the new year.
He enjoyed listening to songs and singing. After a tiring day in the fields, he would relax by lying down and listening to music on his phone with his eyes closed. Today, with nothing much to do in the morning, he planned to have a drink with relatives and friends in the afternoon and then rest for a day tomorrow before heading out with his wife to work hundreds of kilometers away.
He liked an older singer in the "Golden Classics Singing" channel, but when he didn't see them today, he was about to switch channels. However, the song "In Spring" kept him in the sub-channel room, and then "I Am a Little Bird", "Elopement", "Dreaming Back to the Tang Dynasty", and "Those Flowers". Even when friends came over and the cooking began at home, he still couldn't bear to put down his phone until the broadcaster named Haizi finished singing "Those Flowers" and said goodbye to everyone with "88", then he exited the channel.
He couldn't be like that girl Ye Zi who showered gifts as soon as Haizi started singing. He was reluctant to spend money on gifts on the Lele platform, but he would support those who sang sincerely with a monthly subscription of one yuan, forming a "Cherish Group".
Seeing that the other party was only twenty-three years old in their profile, Wang Yushi really couldn't believe that they could sing with such emotion. But the fact was right in front of him. This young person, with unparalleled singing skills, a unique and charming voice, and the ability to convey full emotions in their songs, sang only five songs in this room, and Wang Yushi had already seen more than a dozen audience members like himself and that girl Ye Zi showering the broadcaster with gifts. As soon as Haizi started singing, gifts of "666" would flood in...
Chen Hao really didn't want to shut down his computer or exit Lele. He really wanted to sing again. The feeling of having people applaud and shower you with gifts while you sing was too wonderful.
The beginner's task of gaining one hundred fans in the Cherish Group and receiving gifts worth two thousand yuan was accomplished in just one day, with twelve people opening their own Cherish Groups, and he received more than five hundred yuan in gifts. Just that girl named Ye Zi alone gave him more than two thousand, of which 20% could be pocketed by him. She contributed more than four hundred yuan by herself. This was the first time in four years for Chen Hao. When the other party added him as a friend, he also felt a bit like a nouveau riche wanting to be friends with me. And today's journey as a broadcaster finally made him truly feel like a broadcaster. He felt like the past four years had been a waste.
When he saw the screen filled with "666" and various applause expressions, the satisfaction was beyond measure. This gave him a strong motivation to become a successful broadcaster and heightened his expectations for the Perfect Broadcaster System. Wasn't it just a smoky voice, just the ability of a singing god? Did this mean there would be more in the future?
Thinking about the future, Chen Hao was full of energy. After packing up, he dismantled the computer case and all the broadcasting equipment. Looking at the old-fashioned monitor and keyboard and mouse, he shook them, and even the colors were missing when the monitor was on. He directly abandoned them, just like the bedding and some daily necessities left behind as a symbol of bidding farewell to the past. With more than five hundred yuan today, there would be more in the future, and when he returned home, he wouldn't be a failure.
After packing everything up - a suitcase, a backpack, and a cardboard box containing the dismantled computer case - Chen Hao felt it necessary to bid farewell to his two roommates, so he did. The two of them only exchanged a few perfunctory words with sleepy eyes, took the cigarette Chen Hao handed over, lay back on their beds, lit them, and said "Brother, have a safe journey", but didn't get up to see him off.
With the backpack on his back and one hand pulling the suitcase and the other holding the computer case, Chen Hao gave up the old monitor and keyboard and mouse. It wasn't a waste. He walked out of the rental house, looked at the passing taxis without hailing one, as he didn't have the capital to waste. Looking at the sky filled with haze, he took a deep breath, walked slowly towards the subway entrance, his arms full of strength, his whole body full of strength.
"The future, those two words, I can finally pick them up again."
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